Partnership in Technical Vocational Training ensures Recovery and Prosperity
Over 60 competition skills, participants from 60 nations, up to 300,000 spectators... it sounds like the Olympic Games, but it's called WorldSkills, the World Championships for Vocational Training. “Global Industry Partners" (GIP), for whom the topic of professional vocational training is not just lip service, play a major role in the vocational competitions. Festo is one of the exclusive partners in the skills of Industry 4.0, Mechatronics and Water Technology.
This close partnership between WorldSkills and Festo has existed for 30 years. As a partner from the very beginning, the company provides learning systems for the skills competitions, where the young talents prove their know-how every two years. The next WorldSkills, already the 46th of its kind, will take place in Shanghai in 2022 - one year later than planned due to the pandemic. This increases the importance of the learning systems provided by Festo Didactic: Due to the postponement, WorldSkills has declared 2021 the "Year of Innovation". On the one hand, the time gained until the next WorldSkills will be available for training, preparing and building up skills, but on the other hand it is also a matter of making the competitions fit for the digital age in terms of content with new technologies and knowledge.
Countering the shortage of skilled workers
"As a learning company, Festo attaches great importance to the topic of technical vocational education and training (TVET) in order to equip future generations with the necessary professional skills to combat the shortage of skilled workers and unemployment and to apply new technologies," explains Dr. Hans Jörg Stotz, member of the Management Board of Festo Didactic SE, which is responsible for technical education and training within the Festo Group. This makes Festo, a global player in electrical and pneumatic automation technology, the ideal partner for WorldSkills.
Global Industry Partners must be internationally positioned and provide the competition material and equipment to the teams of the participating countries. For this reason, Festo Didactic is providing the CP Lab Industry 4.0 learning system for the new skill Industry 4.0, the Modular Production System MPS for the skill Mechatronics, and the EDS (Environmental Discovery System) learning system for Water Technology, in which participants of the competition simulate the processes of a waterworks and a sewage treatment plant. The learning systems enable young people to solve industry-related tasks using the most innovative products and solutions in electrical and pneumatic automation technology and process automation from technology leaders such as Festo.
Successful careers in technical professions
"We believe more than ever that the skills of young people will lead us down the path of global economic recovery and prosperity," says David Hoey, CEO of WorldSkills International. Partnerships with innovative and globally positioned industry partners help WorldSkills to prepare young people for successful careers in technical professions. In the process, WorldSkills competitions are an unforgettable experience for the young people, who proudly represent their country and start their professional lives motivated.
Festo Didactic is a leading provider of technical training and further education. The product and service portfolio offers customers integrated educational solutions in industrial automation topics. The wide range of products and services are aimed at vocational schools and universities, research centers and industrial customers. Festo Didactic is part of the globally oriented, independent family-owned company Festo with headquarters in Esslingen a. N., Germany. The 760 employees of Festo Didactic in 61 Festo national companies generated sales of EUR 140 million in 2022.
